SurveyGizmo

SurveyGizmo

Revenue$13M

IndustryIT Software & Services

CountryUnited States

Employees81

Sales$13M

HeadquartersBoulder, Colorado

As of May 9, 2017

Christian Vanek started what became SurveyGizmo in 2005 at the suggestion of a client of a marketing company he worked for. The client, for whom he had created several surveys, asked why he didn’t automate the process. If he did, she said, she would send him customers, and he could repay her by letting her use the software for free. Those customers were mainly independent contractors who had previously worked for large companies where they had access to the most expensive survey software on the market, costing up to $1

million, which they couldn’t begin to afford on their own. So Vanek created software with the same capabilities that he sold for a small fraction of what big companies charged. For years, in fact, he didn’t charge enough. After finally learning how much direct competitors were charging, he doubled his price—and sold more accounts. Then he doubled again—and sold even more. Despite his underpricing, however, he had by then built a thriving company, which was already racking up awards as a best place to work in Boulder, a provider of the best customer service in the industry, and maker of the best survey software for small to midsize businesses. And oh yes, it’s another practitioner of open-book management.

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